Estimated learn time: 3 minutes, 57 seconds

From 2015 to 2020, MapTiler doubled the variety of nations the place it has prospects. The Swiss-based SaaS firm now helps governments, enterprises, and SMBs in over 120 nations by offering maps API for internet and cell builders.

I chatted with Tom Armitage, MapTiler’s Senior Technical Author, about how MapTiler makes use of strategic partnerships to develop its international buyer base. 

1. Use Associates As Native Gross sales Companions

MapTiler maintains developer documentation in English — and because the major enterprise language all through the world, this works properly for many of its customers. 

“However there are components of the world that wish to do enterprise otherwise,” Tom defined. “Perhaps the documentation for builders is nice, however they’d prefer to be offered to by a salesman that speaks their language.” 

That is when Tom’s workforce seeks out associates who can function native MapTiler specialists. By understanding a area’s native language and tradition, these strategic companions could be a one-stop store for localized advertising and gross sales help.

MapTiler has seen important development in income in nations with energetic affiliate partnerships. As an illustration, since they onboarded an affiliate associate in Japan, their gross sales within the nation have elevated by over 300%.

Be aware: MapTiler Makes use of FastSpring’s Affiliate Advertising platform to simply monitor affiliate gross sales and pay out their companions. Study extra about how one can acquire entry to a community of 10K+ international affiliate associates and improve income in new markets.

MapTiler makes a degree of being at developer-focused and different tech conferences to unfold model consciousness. “Now we have a really energetic workforce of individuals which might be on the market making connections on a regular basis: speaking to individuals and telling them about how our fantastic cartography can enhance their merchandise.”

However the workforce additionally makes use of in-person occasions to seek out associates and kind strategic partnerships with different corporations. 

Conferences and different business occasions are helpful if you wish to forged a large internet and see who’s thinking about working collectively. However if you’re searching for one thing particular, that’s the place social media also can assist.

“If we all know that there’s a rustic that requires this stage of service, we take a look for who would possibly have the ability to supply that service to us. Generally they simply come to us through our web site, however we additionally unfold the phrase via social media that we’re searching for affiliations with corporations.”

MapTiler maintains a partnership web page on its web site for events and is all the time looking out for brand new companions.

3. Make Positive Your Pricing and Checkout Are Localized

For those who’re utilizing associates to extend gross sales in an area area, make it possible for customers can simply take a look at utilizing their most popular language, foreign money, and cost strategies. This may make your companions’ jobs quite a bit simpler.

MapTiler makes use of FastSpring’s branded checkout platform to localize pricing and the checkout expertise, together with calculating and accumulating VAT, GST, and gross sales tax. 

Per inside analysis, we discovered that displaying native currencies and cost strategies can improve native conversions by as much as 50%.

4. Establish Your Champion Customers

“Each every now and then, we get a champion consumer that actually likes what we’re doing. They actually get us, and we get them,” Tom defined.

That is particularly helpful when the champion consumer is an influencer of their market. “That can actually assist promote your merchandise with out it being any sort of paid relationship.”

MapTiler’s workforce encourages these champion customers by ensuring they’re well-supported on the product. However additionally they make it possible for sharing and selling is a two-way avenue.

“In the event that they’re a blogger or one thing like that, then we’ll clearly be sharing and serving to them unfold the phrase about what they’re doing, as properly.”

5. Make It Actually Simple to Get Began

An enormous a part of MapTiler’s success is how user-friendly the platform is. Tom’s workforce has spent a variety of power creating help supplies that make it straightforward for a brand new firm to get began and for present customers to seek out new makes use of for the platform.

“You come on our web site, you’ll discover a variety of details about tips on how to develop, combine, and use the maps in your individual providers: masses and a great deal of code snippets and code samples. 

Utilizing a product-led development (PLG) mannequin, there are free tiers for all three of MapTiler’s subscription choices designed to supply “fast wins” for brand new customers.

Once you join MapTiler Cloud, “there’s a code pattern that you would be able to drag and drop straight into no matter it’s that you simply’re doing so as to in a short time, very merely get began.”

If you’re thinking about including maps to your web site or apps, you may get a free trial.